Making Sense of AI 2gether

Can AI Run a Business?

What happens when you hand an AI $100,000 and tell it to run a business? In this episode, Claudine Wong and Lisa Bernard explore Andon Market, a boutique retail store in San Francisco managed almost entirely by an AI agent named Luna. From hiring employees to stocking inventory and managing profits, Luna is doing much more than answering chatbot questions — she’s operating a real business. This conversation dives into the future of AI agents, autonomy, labor, ethics, and the blurred line between experimentation and reality. About the Founders Axel Buckland and Lucas Peterson are Swedish technologists and longtime collaborators who met in high school in Stockholm. After university, they launched Andon Labs, a company focused on testing how AI agents behave in simulated and real-world environments. Before opening Andon Market, the team created AI-operated vending machine experiments and partnered with companies like Anthropic to study autonomous AI systems in commerce. What Is Andon Market? Andon Market is an AI-managed boutique retail store located in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood. The founders leased the storefront, gave Luna a $100,000 operating budget, and tasked the AI with hiring employees, stocking inventory, communicating with suppliers, setting prices, and eventually becoming profitable. Key Moments 00:42 — What Is Andon Market? 01:29 — Meet Axel Buckland 02:00 — The Origin Story 03:30 — Is the Experiment Working? 04:37 — The AI Interview Problem 06:00 — Why San Francisco? 08:00 — Ethical Questions Begin 10:21 — Human Relationships vs Efficiency 12:24 — Giving Luna the Keys 14:21 — Luna Chooses the Products 16:08 — AI Hires Employees 18:32 — Is Luna Making Money? 20:19 — Human Oversight 21:45 — AI Applied for Credit 24:52 — The Bigger Fear: AI Managing Humans 27:44 — What Happens If AI Prioritizes Profit? 30:06 — Silicon Valley’s Responsibility 33:28 — How Fast Is AI Improving? 35:33 — Gemini Reviews Luna 37:40 — Humans Become More Creative Around AI 40:48 — The Next Step: Autonomous Expansion 42:15 — Will AI Help Humanity or Replace It? Key Takeaways • AI agents are moving beyond chatbots into real operational roles. • AI can already hire employees, manage inventory, and coordinate operations. • The biggest ethical question may not be whether AI can run businesses — but whether it should manage people. • Transparency and human oversight remain critical. • Autonomous AI expansion may become one of the biggest future risks. Connect With Us Claudine Wong Instagram & Facebook: ClaudineWongKTVU TikTok: ClaudineKTVU YouTube: ClaudineWong Lisa Bernard Instagram: @DemystifyAI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Bringing Education to Life with AI

Episode Overview What if students could learn history from Harriet Tubman… or physics from Einstein? In this episode, Claudine Wong and Lisa Bernard sit down with Shawn Dej, founder of YourStory AI, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping education. From personalized lesson plans to interactive AI characters, they discuss the opportunities, risks, and big questions facing classrooms today. Key Takeaways • AI enables personalized learning at scale • Teachers become architects of learning, not replaced • Prompting is a key future skill • Guardrails and control of AI are critical • Education is shifting from memorization to critical thinking Notable Quotes "If we don’t implement AI responsibly in schools, it will be used for cheating." "Education shouldn’t just be memorizing facts anymore." "Teachers should be the architects of AI in the classroom." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

SoulScape 2026 — The Future of AI Filmmaking

In this episode, Claudine Wong and Lisa Bernard sit down with Keith Zhang — former Uber engineer turned AI filmmaker and founder of SoulScape — to explore a bold new vision for storytelling. From AI-generated films to 48-hour cinema hackathons, this conversation dives into the opportunities, fears, and big questions surrounding AI in creative industries. Is AI democratizing filmmaking… or disrupting it? And what happens to human creativity when anyone can make a movie in hours? Timestamps 00:00 — Welcome + Intro 01:24 — Meet Keith Zhang 03:18 — AI Opens the Door to New Creators 04:33 — The Coca-Cola AI Ad Debate 06:16 — Why AI Feels Different 08:23 — The Moment That Changed Everything 12:30 — From Experiment to Mission 15:03 — The Big Controversy: Job Disruption 17:01 — What is SoulScape? 19:41 — Will AI Movies Replace Hollywood? 25:09 — Inside SoulScape 2026 26:30 — Hollywood Is Paying Attention 28:05 — Who Are the Creators? 29:33 — How AI Films Are Made 32:05 — AI Is Moving FAST 32:59 — Why a Nonprofit? 35:52 — Soul Over Slop 36:11 — Why San Francisco? 38:27 — What to Expect from SoulScape 2026 Key Takeaways • AI is lowering the barrier to entry for filmmaking. • The biggest tension is creative empowerment vs. job disruption. • We are in the messy middle where AI is visible and evolving quickly. • The future may be AI + human storytelling, not replacement. • Audiences will ultimately decide what succeeds. Notable Quotes "AI is creating creative equity." "We shouldn’t lose humanity just because we’re in the age of AI." "It’s not about the visuals — it’s about the story." "Every 3 months is a quality leap. Every 6 months is a generational leap." Connect With Us Claudine Wong: Instagram & Facebook: ClaudineWongKTVU TikTok: ClaudineKTVU YouTube: ClaudineWong Lisa Bernard: Instagram: @DemystifyAI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

OpenArt, AI Influencers & the Future of Creative Storytelling

What happens when AI can generate a reality show, create a digital influencer, or produce Pixar-level visuals with just a few people behind the scenes? In this episode, Claudine Wong and Lisa Bernard sit down with Coco Mao, co-founder and CEO of OpenArt, a generative AI platform focused on visual storytelling. From AI influencers to AI-generated reality TV, Coco explains how artificial intelligence is reshaping the creative industry — and why she believes it’s empowering creators rather than replacing them. The conversation explores Hollywood’s concerns, AI influencers, watermarking, deepfakes, copyright challenges, and the bold prediction that much of future social media content may be AI-generated. Episode Timestamps • 00:00 – Welcome & intro (yes, AI helped write it) • 01:50 – Meet Coco Mao & the rise of OpenArt • 03:00 – The mission: democratizing visual storytelling • 04:15 – Hollywood’s fear of AI (and who’s secretly using it) • 07:00 – Coco’s journey: from Google Photos to startup founder • 09:30 – Where OpenArt fits in the AI ecosystem (models vs. applications) • 12:00 – “Uber for storytelling” — simplifying AI video creation • 14:15 – AI singers & creative empowerment (Zinnia Monet example) • 17:20 – AI influencers: opportunity or manipulation? • 19:40 – The Lil Miquela ethical gray area • 21:50 – Realism, disclosure & watermarking AI content • 22:35 – Inside Bot House: OpenArt’s AI-generated reality show • 29:05 – The accidental Jeff Bridges dilemma & copyright detection • 31:30 – Deepfakes, guardrails & protecting real people • 36:00 – Who decides AI’s future? (Hint: consumers) • 37:45 – Actors selling their likeness & AI contracts • 38:30 – How AI changes production timelines • 40:20 – What’s next for OpenArt: AI influencers & music videos • 41:45 – Bold prediction: Will most social content be AI-generated? • 43:30 – Final thoughts: AI doesn’t replace the human behind the story Key Takeaways • AI can dramatically lower the barrier to high-quality video production. • Creative vision still starts with humans — AI executes. • Disclosure and watermarking may be essential as realism increases. • AI could extend creators’ reach rather than replace them. • Audiences will ultimately decide what succeeds. About the Guest Coco Mao is the co-founder and CEO of OpenArt. A former Google product leader, she is building tools designed to make cinematic storytelling accessible to anyone with an idea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

AI and the Environment — What’s the Real Cost?

Every time we type a prompt into an AI tool, it feels like magic. But behind that instant response is a massive system using electricity, water, and data centers around the globe. In this episode, Claudine Wong and Lisa Bernard explore the real environmental impact of AI with MIT PhD candidate and science communicator Jordan Harrod. Key Topics: • What large language models actually are • How AI uses energy and water • AI vs Google searches • Data centers and community impact • AI policy and regulation gaps • How AI could help fight climate change Notable Quotes for Social: “Every AI answer feels instant — but the environmental cost is anything but.” “We’re all excited and uneasy about AI at the same time — and that’s okay.” “AI policy already exists — we just don’t always call it AI policy.” Connect with Us: Claudine Wong — ClaudineWongKTVU (IG & FB), ClaudineKTVU (TikTok), ClaudineWong (YouTube) Lisa Bernard — @DemystifyAI (Instagram) Guest: Jordan Harrod (TikTok & Instagram: @jordanharrod) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]